Crafting with Girlie #1

Now that Girlie #1 is at the "big" school, her holiday dates vary to her sister.  This Easter holidays she scored two days more than her sister at the start.  Monday morning I had to pop round to see another English lady, who I do a bit of translating for, and we had a cup of tea there.  She is a real arty crafty type and was showing #1 a lot of things she had done.

So on our return home I was met with Mum, I really want to make something...

So, this is what we came up with

 

Ingredients were:  cheapy frames from Ikea, loo roll, white glue, acrylic paint, spray varnish

And for the fabic flowers/rosettes: old greetings card, hot glue, spare fabric and a button

She is delighted with how they have turned out.  The green and gold one have been presented to Aunty E and Granny, and the purple (her favourite) and blue one remain here at home.

They really were quick and easy to do, we were lucky with the sunny weather that helped to cut down on the drying times, although we should have left the white "blanks" in the frames for the purpose of photographing.  Live and learn.

Rainbow Brights Bag

 

So, I couple of weeks ago I came across these lovely colours in my local wool shop, I knew what I wanted to do with them, as I had decided to give crochet a bash.  I learned how to do Granny Squares about one hundred years ago, but have never done anything else since.  So this is how we started.

I very carefully followed the instructions given by Lucy at Attic 24 and to my surprise actually ended up with something I was quite pleased with.  I think that hooking is now going to be my yard hobby of choice as it all seems to come together a lot quicker than knitting.  Certainly I can see myself hooking throughout the summer when it is too hot to be bothered with knitting, and it also seems to be a lot more portable and unobtrusive for hooking in public!!!


So, here it is my stripy Rainbow Brights Bag





Some close ups of the flowers

And the bit where I had some problems. The colour joining bits gape open a bit and seem to twist up around the bag.  If anyone knows what I did wrong here, I'd love to know please. 

I've also already started my next project, which is to be a small and oblong red, white and blue stripy bag for Girlie #1.  To go with this summer's nautical look.  She is so much more fashion conscious than me lol.

Car Booting - The Conversion of a Spaniard

Car Booting is not what you'd call a Spanish tradition.  Recycling is only just catching on over here.  Antiques/Junk shops are not overly popular either.  So, after being told of a car boot sale down towards the coast, I decided that as it was a music lesson free Saturday morning, I'd take a run out, meet my mum for a coffee and have a little look see.

Now, the best laid plans and all that, meant that the sale my friend had told me about was actually held on a Sunday and not the Saturday as I'd thought.  However, we did find another one, quite nearby, and I'm soo pleased we did.

Check out my €20 chair

I have great plans for this, that do not include badly varnished wood, mustard and red.

My €3 picture frame

Which I only bought for the frame.  The picture inside, is also quite nice, but very faded and surplus to my requirements anyway.

Seeing as I had gone to the wrong car boot, and was pretty ecstatic about my haul, I managed to convince the Latin Lover to accompany me to the right car boot on the Sunday.  He hummed and haaahed and was definitely not keen, but eventually he complied to my will.

So very pleased he did, as Sunday's haul was even better.  A fully functioning black and decker garden vac at €12, an old army jacket for work at €3 and two pink mens cotton shirts, which are currently drying on the line for crafting purposes.  

He is now converted, and can't wait to go again next weekend.  What a result! 

Photo Free

So, here we go, another whole month has passed without a blog post from me.  Not sure why as I've done loads of stuff that's been blog worthy too.

This morning I've just dropped the girlies off at their Dad's for his 3 weeks off, and am gutted that it's fallen across the Easter Holidays.  Normally I make a real effort to do something everyday of these holidays, as the weather is just right for, picnics, walking in the mountains and beach walks.  Things that we tend to avoid in the heat of the summer.  I often have a project for whilst they are away, as I'm not tied to school times, meal times, after school activities and all the other palaver that goes hand in hand with being a Mum.  This time I don't really have either the funds or inclination to get stuck into a "big" task (nearly wrote job, but couldn't stop tittering like a child) like painting a room and moving furniture, so am going for a "deprocrastination" list instead.

I'm going to list them here now, as it might just inspire me to actually get them all done.  Some of these are fairly hefty things and others are things I just "need" to do and haven't got around to yet!!

Deprocrastination List

De clutter my wardrobe

Clean out log burner and polish the glass

Pedicure and manicure - it's coming up to sandal time :-)

Have a good garden tidy

Clean kitchen windows inside and out

Eat my 5-a-day

Wash all bathroom tiles - a ladder is required for this - floor to ceiling - so not to be undertaken lightly!!!

Get ironing pile up to date

Finish crocheting my rainbow bag

Make a cover for my Kindle

Get my craft on

Move girlies beds around and generally de junk their rooms too - so much easier when their not here ;-)  "Mum have you seen my......"  "Oh not for ages sweetheart, perhaps you've left it at Daddy's"  Titter titter.

Do lots of blogging

So, there we have it, let's see how well I do.

10-52-2011 Trio

Trio was the subject matter for this weeks 52 challenge, and my immediate thought was the dogs.  But to get all three of them looking at me at the same time would take far more expertise in Photoshop than I have.  Either that or a ladder and their brimming food bowls!!! 

Instead I give you my latest knitting project which involves using knitting three threads on very fat needles.



It has been a success and I am very pleased with how it's turned out.  There is such a combination of wools,  thicknesses, textures and colours.  It's very soft and easily big enough for snuggling up under on the sofa on those evenings it's not quite cold enough to light the fire.

Another in progress picture





And a couple of finished shots to end








It is such a success that it has been bagsied by Girlie #1 and Girlie #2 has requested one in shades of reds, browns, oranges and yellows.

Oh Yes

Whilst the girlies were last at their Dad's, I decided it would be an oportune moment to "declutter" the playroom.  As it's not actually a room as such, more of a large corridoor leading to the patio and my bedroom, I was seriously taking my life into my hands, everytime I went in or out of my room.  Lord knows what would have happened if their was a powercut in the middle of the night!!!

Before


And after




I've managed to free up two and a half shelves, so that means that all the boxed games that are in the cupboards under their beds can now go on these empty shelves, freeing up space for their ever growing wardrobes and makeup/jewellry collection.  Hoping that we'll soon be able to get rid of a lot more of these toys, and I'll be able to turn this space into a crafty/office type room.  Anyone know at what age this can be done please?

9.52.2011 - Finish every day and be done with it...

As the girlies where staying with their Dad, I was able to have a midweek evening down at Guardamar beach and port with one of my spanish fotografer friends.  It was most pleasant and a welcome break, a stroll, a beer and a sunset - even better as I didn't have to drive.

This is my choice for finish, I was thinking of where reality finishes and reflection begins, but as it was laet in the evening as the sun was going down, I used the first line of a Ralph Waldo Emerson Poem

 

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with
your old nonsense.

This day is all that is
good and fair.
It is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on yesterdays.

 Here are a couple more pictures taken that evening